Numismatics International Bulletin, Vol. 29, No.3

29 years of service to numismatics

•Xc?r/'.

BULLETIN

FOUND I 0 1944

Volume 29 Number 3 ISSN: 0197-3088 Price .... Two Dollars

TABLE OF CONTENTS

FEATURE ARTICLES

Amoghabhuti — Name or Title?, by Devendra Handa 62

Numismatic Revelations, by Bob Forrest 54

DEPARTMENTS

Book News & Reviews — 68

From the Mailbox 53

Member Notice Page 72

INSIDE N.I.

Librarian’s Report 51

Membership Chairman’s Report 51

OTHER ITEMS

"Arnolds" 67

Baetzner 7 1

The Burmese "Ganza" 65

"Cartwheels" of Great Britain 71

"Gelbvogel" 71

"Larin, Lari" 72

"Miscal" - 52

Northern Ireland Bank Issues New Notes 66

Numismatic Extracts from Selected Literature 53, 65

Numismatic Organizations in Germany — — 64

"Wampum" 61

- -

Copyrighted by Numismatics International, P.O. Box 670013, Dallas, Texas USA 75367-0013

MARCH 1 994

BOARD OF GOVERNORS

DR. HOWARD L. FORD
Chairman & Past-President

JOHN E. VANDIGRIFF

President

PHILIP BRANDENBURG
Vice-President

ROSS SCHRAEDER
Secretary
214-995-4921 D
214-237-4347 N

DON DOUGLAS
Treasurer

CRAIG BURRUS
At-Large Director

WALTER W. LEONARD
At-Large Director

WILLIAM E. BENSON
JACK E. LEWIS
ELMORE B. SCOTT

MARVIN L. FRALEY PHILIP LAWRENCE

CHARLES MUCHMORE ROBERT W. RICHIER

WILLIAM B. THOMPSON CARL YOUNG

Past-Presidents

APPOINTED STAFF

Curator, NI REFERENCE COLLECTION Publicity Chairman

Philip L. Lawrence Stuart T. Eisen

Phone 301-530-5400

Curator, JOHN GRAVES MEMORIAL
PAPER MONEY COLLECTION

David Block
P. O. Box 12473
Gainesville, FL 32604

Editor, NI BULLETIN

Librarian, NI BOOK LIBRARY
Granvyl G. Hulse, Jr.

30 Pleasant St.

Colebrook, NH 03576

Marvin L. Fraley
2813 - 57th St
Lubbock, TX 79413-5606
Phone 806-795-7623

Book News & Reviews Editor
NI BULLETIN

Librarian, NI PERIODICAL LIBRARY
Jim Haley
P. O. Box 4057
St. Johnsbury, VT 05819

Donald S. Yarab

2739 Noble Road, Apt. 1

Cleveland Heights, OH 44121

Article Abstractor, NI BULLETIN

NI MAIL BID SALES
Carl Young
P. O. Box 810521
Dallas, TX 75381-0521

Joseph Uphoff
La Jolla, CA

Index Compiler, NI BULLETIN
Dick Schubert
Denver, CO

Moderator, NI EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS
William F. Spengler
2032 Ridgeway
Colorado Spring, CO 80906

Correspondence should be directed to those persons and addresses above for departments indicated. All other correspondence
should be mailed direct to NUMISMATICS INTERNATIONAL, P. O. BOX 670013, DALLAS, TEXAS 75367-0013.

MEMBERSHIP FEES: Individual & Club Memberships - $15.00 Annually. Junior Membership (18 years of age and under) -
$10.00 Annually. Senior Membership (70 years of age and older) - $10.00 Annually.

50

INSIDE N.I

MEMBERSHIP CHAIRMAN’S REPORT

March, 1994 Applications for Membership: The following person has applied for
membership. If no written objections are received by May 1, 1994, his membership
will become effective on that date.

2434-MT Adam Green, 1544 Moorings Dr., #22C, Reston, Virginia 22090

(Tibet)

Reinstatement: The following member has complied with the By-Laws and is hereby
reinstated to full membership:

2274 George B. Baker, 140-11 Ash Ave., Apt. 5-N, Flushing, NY 11355

Regular Membership Converted to Life Membership:

LM-116 Dean W. Lloyd, P. O. Box 2152, Grass Valley, California 95945

LIBRARIAN’S REPORT

I. Acknowledgement is made below to those who have donated material to the NI
Library:

Devendra Handa

KA70.Hand: 1993:NS/3

HANDa, DEVENDRA (Ed.)

Numismatic Studies. Vol. 3.
Pub. 1993, 180pp, illus.

N. I. Purchase

JM65.JulR: 1993:RSC
JULIAN, R. W.

Russian Silver Coinage. 1796-1917.
Pub. 2993, 119pp, illus.

51

WhiN:1983:RR

WHITMAN, NATHAN T./VARRIANO, JOHN L.

Roma Resurgens. Papal medals from the age of the Baroque.

Pub. 1983, 188pp, illus.

H. In addition to the above we would also like to thank William F. Orae for his
generous donation of numismatic material to the NI Library.

Granvyl G. Hulse, Jr., Book Librarian
James D. Haley, Periodical Librarian

"MISCAL"

A unit of weight for bullion, the "Miscal" was prevalent in all Muhammadan
countries. It is the equivalent of twenty-four Nakhods or Peas, and the Nakhod is
equivalent to four gandums or grains of wheat. The Committee for the Reform of the
Currency in Egypt experienced great difficulty in determining the exact weight, and
finally decided to set aside the miscal and adopt the metric system.

Mr. H. L. Rabino contributed an interesting paper on the coins of the Shahs of Persia
to the Numismatic Chronicle (series iv. vol. 8) from which the following has been
extracted:

"When the Imperial Bank of Persia started operations in Persia in 1 890, it had
to import capital in bar silver to be coined in Tehran. A standard weight had
to be fixed. Hajji Muhammad Hassan, Amin ez Zarb, late Mint-master to the
Persian Government, and Mr. Rabino, chief manager of the Bank, after a
series of experiments with the Mint and Bank weights, established the
proportion between miscals and troy ounces as 250 miscals = 37 ounces troy,
or 1 miscal = 71.04 grains. This has ever since been recognized as the
equivalent of the miscal for bullion transactions.

I must add that when the Customs Administration were preparing the New
Commercial Convention they had no knowledge of this standard, having at the
time no control over the Mint, and after weighing the heavy weights in use in
their administration, they fixed the equivalent of the batman Tabrizi of 640
miscals as 2.97 kilogrammes. This equivalent is confirmed, so to say, by
treaty. On taking charge of the Mint the Customs found an established
standard weight for bullion, which they maintained.

There is consequently now in Persia a legal weight for bullion, the miscal of
71.04 grains; and a legal weight for merchandise, the miscal of 71.61 grains."

The Miscal, also called Metsqal and Mitsqal, is a silver coin of Morocco, introduced
by Muhammad Abd-Allah ben Ismail (A.H. 1171-1205). Its value is ten Dirhems.
In recent years the Chinese have struck in Turkestan bi-lingual silver coins of five,
three, two and one Miscals.

52

Submitted by R. R. Kutcher

FROM THE MAILBOX

East Asian collector lauds January 1994 issue

The January 1994 issue of the NI Bulletin was a bonanza for those of us interested
in East Asia, and especially cash-style coins.

The Wako in Japanese Coinage History by Francis J. Gemer, was excellent. I have
never seen so much data compiled into one article about this subject. China and
Korea were mentioned as targets of the Wako, but I believe I have read something
about them hitting Viet Nam too. I do know that there was a small Japanese trading
colony in south Viet Nam which did business with the Nguyen family, who eventually
created a dynasty.

The Casting of a Cash Coin by Chris Shappell was good too, but he had an error in
his first sentence. Not all Chinese were always cast. There are a few Chinese
machine-made cash-style coins, and there were some minted in Viet Nam too.

I hop more NT members write more articles about East Asian numismatics.

Howard A. Daniel IE, Dunn Loring, Va.

*********************************************************************

NUMISMATIC EXTRACTS FROM SELECTED LITERATURE

In the case of coins - material that we can check with some accuracy, as the bulk of
mass issues survives - we can reconstruct the trunk of the body but, even there, there
will have been issues enough, never of large extent, which with the natural waste of
time tend to disappear. The really rare issues have only the faintest chance of
survival. This applies also to books, but not in quite the same way. Books are
perishable in themselves; a hundred thousand will perish almost as certainly as one.
The mere fact that the book was once in many hands will not necessarily preserve it.
Some rare books, on the other hand, may be deliberately preserved just because they
are rare. The chief difference between books and coins is that, with books, we can
be certain that we are very imperfectly acquainted with some of the commoner
classes, while, with coins, it is the rare or quite exceptional that we can rarely hope
to meet. In both cases, we have to try to estimate the value and extent of the original
mass by the aid of the comparatively small relics.

Taken from ROMAN IMPERIAL
CIVILISATION , Harold Mattingly, Doubleday
Anchor Books, Garden City, N.Y., 1959. p.288.

(Submitted by John R. McIntyre)

53

NUMISMATIC REVELATIONS

Bob Forrest, Manchester, England, NI #2382

(The following article is reproduced from the November, 1993 issue of the English
magazine Coin News, by kind permission of the editor.)

One of the nice things about being a general collector is that a rainy
afternoon spent mulling over widely different specimens in your
collection can result in the emergence of some unexpected and quite
fascinating interconnections. The following article is the outcome of
one such exercise. It can be seen as a somewhat bizarre appendix to
Kenneth Jacob’s marvellous little book Coins and Christianity, for the
connecting thread here is the Book of Revelation, probably the most
baffling and haunting of all the prophetical books in the Bible.

Fig. 1 is a jeton of Hans Krauwinckel (=H.K.) of Nuremberg, dating from the late
16th or early 17th century. The allusion of the obverse is to Revelation chapter 17
(=Apocalips:Cap:XVII) in which St. John has a vision of a woman seated upon a
scarlet beast which has 7 heads and 10 horns. The woman is dressed in purple and
scarlet, and decked with gold and precious stones. Upon her forehead is written:
"Mystery, Babylon the Great, the Mother of Harlots and Abominations of the Earth",
and she is drunk with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of Jesus. "MERETRIX
BA:" signifies the Whore of Babylon, incidentally. The reverse of the jeton depicts
merely a fictitious coat of arms for the city of Babylon.

Now it is clear that in the Book of Revelation "Babylon" does not refer to the ancient
city on the Euphrates. Rather the name is used as a symbol for an earthly power
whose doom is prophesied in the following chapter. But which earthly power
exactly?

Since Rev. 17.9 expressly tells us that the seven heads of the beast are "seven
mountains on which the woman sitteth", it comes as no surprise to find that a long
line of Biblical commentators have opted for Rome. Protestant extremists go further
and claim that the doomed Mother of Harlots represents the Roman Catholic Church
which with all its scarlet and gold finery (Rev. 17.4), "reigneth over the kings of the
earth" (Rev. 17.18), and which, with its Inquisition, was "drunk with the blood of the
martyrs" (Rev. 17.6).

54

One Rev. J. Cumming, writing in 1851, made the following numismatic observation
in relation to the Mother of Harlots and Rev. 17.4:

"It is said that she had a golden cup filled with the intoxications
with which she had intoxicated the kings of the earth. It is a most
remarkable fact — as if history were striking out the fulfilment of
prophecy — that Leo XII, in 1825, on the occasion of the last jubilee,
had a medal struck, on the one side of which was himself, and on the
obverse a woman holding forth a golden cup with this inscription:

‘Sedet super universum*, translated into Apocalyptic language, ‘She
sits upon many waters*."

This last phrase refers to Rev. 17.1, by the way.

All of which brings us to Fig. 2, which is a pewter anti-papal medalet, probably of
17th century date. Held one way up, as illustrated here, it depicts a pope and a
cardinal. Turn it upside down and they become a devil and a fool. (This type of
visual trickery is very reminiscent of the paintings of the 16th century artist, Giuseppe
Arcimboldo of Milan. In The Vegetable Gardener of about 1590, for example, we
see a bowl of vegetables which, when the painting is inverted, turns into the grotesque
face of the gardener. In this country, many readers will no doubt recall the use of
similar techniques in a number of recent TV adverts — there really is nothing new
under the sun!) The legends on this extraordinary medalet read: ECCLESIA

PERVERSA TENET FACIEM DIABOLI and STVLTI ALIQVANDO SAPIENTES.
The first signifies that the corrupt Church (of Rome) has the face of the Devil (as we
see when we turn the medalet round!) and the second that for once fools are wise
(again, as we see when the medalet is turned and the fool becomes a cardinal!).

Note the 666 above the head of the pope (possibly over the cardinal’s as well). This
is yet another allusion to the Book of Revelation, of course, for 666 is the famous
"number of the beast":

"Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for
it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore
and six" (Rev. 13.18).

55

The gardener, or his vegetables? Giuseppe Arcimboldo s clever painting.

This is generally taken to refer to numerology: that is, when the number equivalents
of the letters composing the name of the person who is the Beast are added together,
they will total 666.

To illustrate the method by a post-Second World War example: if one takes A=100,
B=101, C=102, etc., then HITLER totals up to 666. Unkind critics are apt to point
out that by taking A=74, B=75, C=76, etc., then YOGI BEAR totals 666, but we shall
ignore such protestations as unworthy. Let us merely say that by taking various
names in Latin, Greek or Hebrew, with varying case endings, with or without royal
or imperial titles, and with a variety of number-letter equivalence schemes, there has
been no end of fun and games over the centuries as folk have sought to discover the
"true" Beast.

Thus in the early 16th century one Michael Stifel proved, to his own satisfaction if
no-one else’s, that Pope Leo X was the Beast (Stifel was actually a very able
mathematician, but he had also been a monk, had been converted by Martin Luther,
and had turned fanatical reformer. Hell hath no fury like a monk reformed!). In
contrast, by the late 16th century, Peter Bongus, a Jesuit, had proved with equal
ingenuity and vigour that the Beast was none other than Martin Luther himself!

Other commentators are less specific. One protestant author, writing under the pen-
name Discipulus in 1926, did not seek to identify any particular pope as the Beast,
he simply claimed that 666 was both the number of "Vicarius filii dei" (Vicar of the
son of god), a title of the popes generally, and of "Lateinos" (Latin), a descriptive of
their church. Incidentally, decoding the number of the beast is not the prerogative of
the foolish and insane. No less a person than Isaac Newton held that 666=Lateinos,
and Lord Napier, the inventor of logarithms, believed that 666 denoted the papacy.

56

Given that the Babylon of Revelation relates to Rome, it makes sense to look for 666
in terms of Roman numerals, which several commentators have done (Stifel,
mentioned above, was one), noting that of the letters that represent numbers, D=500,
C=100, L=50, X=10, V=5 and 1=1. When strung together in order using each letter
only once, we have DCLXVI, which is 666 no less. Cynical skeptics have pointed
out that M(=1000) has not been used here, and that MDCLXVI=1666, which seems
to have more to do with the Great Fire of London than the Book of Revelation!

Taking the Roman numerals as his starting point, one Thomas Vivian, vicar of
Comwood in Devon, writing in 1781, deduced that the Beast of Revelation probably
represented the succession of French kings names Louis, particularly Louis XIV. His
reason? Giving numerical values to those letters which are Roman numerals, and the
value 0 to any which aren’t, LVDOVICVS, the Latin form of Louis, totals 666 (This
piece of number juggling was mainly inspired by the persecution of the Huguenots
under Louis XIV, incidentally).

Turning to a Catholic commentator now, one J. J. Elar writing at the turn of this
century had some very interesting ideas on the symbolism of the Book of Revelation.
He dismissed all anti-Catholic ravings, of course, and whilst holding to the view that
"Babylon" was a veiled reference to Rome, he opted for the Rome of the Emperors
rather than that of the Popes. Thus we come to Fig. 3, a bronze As of Nero, for

Figure 3

according to Mr. Elar, 666=Nero Caesar and the fall of "Babylon" is the fall of the
Roman Empire itself. This was not a new interpretation, of course, and indeed it
dates back to the second century AD, but Mr. Elar argues it well and in great detail
(his book, with the cheery title The Apocalypse, The Antichrist, and The End runs to
nearly 400 pages).

Thus the 10 horns of the beast of Fig. 1, which we are told in Rev. 17.12 represent
10 kings and which according to Rev. 17.16 "shall hate the whore" (= the city of
Rome) and "bum her with fire", are these not successive kings of the Vandals, Goths
and Franks? Was not Nero, in view of the persecution of the Christians after the
great fire of Rome in AD 64, "drunk with the blood of the saints and the martyrs of
Jesus"? More curious still, do not the obscure verses of Rev. 17.10-11 fit the
succession of emperors up to and including Nero, his successor Galba, and even the
strange belief in "Nero redivivus"? (Apparently after Nero’s death a widespread
belief developed that he wasn’t really dead at all, and that some day he would be
back!)

57

As for Rev. 13.17, might this not refer to Roman coinage: "that no man might buy
or sell, save that he had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his
name" — that is, a coin with Nero’s head and name on it? Mr. Elar feels that this does
not fully explain this part of the Book of Revelation, but we won’t go into that here!
The idea certainly gives us something to think about as we handle the coins of Nero,
however!

Incidentally, the coin in Fig. 3 was selected for illustration rather than a more choice
specimen, for the curious way in which it has worn so as to accentuate Nero’s
features. It was rescued from a dealer’s rummage box for the princely sum of £2
some years ago, and despite having bought much finer specimens in the meantime,
this one remains my favourite "portrait of the beast".

Also the theory that Nero was the Beast of Revelation is not confined to obscure
theological tracts, for Arthur Weigall cites it in his fascinating book Nero, Emperor
of Rome (1930), even down to the "Nero redivivus" rumour, to which he apparently
gave some credence (p.298).

Moving back to Revelation chapter 9 now, we find an army of locusts like horses
prepared for battle. They have the faces of men and the hair of women, not to
mention tails like scorpions. According to Mr. Elar these locusts symbolise the
armies of Rome; according to others, the armies of Islam. But there is another
possibility, for in Rev. 9.11 we read that the locusts had a king whose name was
Abaddon in Hebrew and Apollyon in Greek, names which signify "the Destroyer".
It will come as no surprise to leam that some commentators have linked the second
of these names to Napoleon, and that by rendering his name variously into Greek
letters, have contrived to show that his name is another 666. That Napoleon was the
Antichrist and the spawn of the devil brings us neatly, if tangentially, to Fig. 4, a
medalet commemorating the defeat of Napoleon in 1814, and his subsequent exile to
Elba. Though there is no direct or intended connection with the Book of Revelation
here, by an odd coincidence it does show Napoleon being led off to Elba by the devil
himself!

Figure 4

One would have thought that with the demise of Napoleon I and the failure of the
Christ to appear in clouds of glory, that would have been an end of such Apollyonic
speculations. But not so, for some 50 years later history repeats itself, and we find
the finger being pointed a Napoleon III, the nephew of his more illustrious namesake.

58

Thus, Michael Paget Baxter, a little before 1865, wrote a book whose full title is
worth quoting here, as it saves us reading 99% of the book itself: Louis Napoleon
the Destined Monarch of the World, Foreshown in Prophecy to confirm a seven
years’ Covenant with the Jews about seven years before the Millennium, and ( after
the Resurrection of the Saints, and Ascension of Watchful Christians has taken place
two years and from three to five weeks after the Covenant) subsequently to become
completely supreme over England and most of America, and all Christendom, and to
cause a Great Persecution of Christians during the latter half of the Seven Years,
until he finally perishes at the Descent of Christ, at the end of the War of
Armageddon, about or soon after 1873.

Unlikely as this sounds today, one has to remember that when Rev. Baxter wrote his
book, the Second Empire was at its peak: Napoleon III was a real threat. So

considering the time that it was written, perhaps there was some cause for Rev.
Baxter taking LVDOVICVS=666 (as earlier!) with a dative form of NAPOLEON in
Greek = 666 again, as proof positive that Louis Napoleon was the Beast of Revelation
and Apollyon the Destroyer!

Fortunately, as it turned out, the Rev. Baxter’s fears for England’s safety were
unfounded and Napoleon IE’s "Armageddon" (the final battle between the forces of
good and evil which occurs in Rev. 16.16, and is supposed to precede the millennial
reign of Christ on earth) actually took place at Sedan, near the French border with
Belgium. There, on September 1, 1870, Louis Napoleon’s army suffered a
catastrophic defeat by the Prussians under Bismarck. Unfortunately for the Rev.
Baxter, all this occurred three years too early, Christ failed to descend from the
clouds, and Louis Napoleon was not "cast alive into a lake of fire burning with
brimstone", in accordance with Rev. 19.20 (he actually died in his bed, in exile in
England, in January 1873).

Figure 5

All of this brings us to Fig. 5, one of a number of similar medalets which made then-
appearance in France following the disastrous battle of Sedan. The piece is a parody
of the 10 centime piece of Napoleon III, being slightly larger than the real thing, and
expresses the popular feeling of the French against their emperor following his
catastrophic defeat. The obverse shows the emperor wearing a Prussian helmet, with
the derogatory legend NAPOLEON IE LE PETIT (i.e. the LitEe Napoleon). Round
this we read "N’ayant pas le courage de mourir a la tete de mon arm6e, je demande
une cachette au roi de Prusse" (i.e. Not having the courage to die at the head of my

59

army, I ask the King of Prussia for a hiding place). This was a bit unfair, as some
accounts suggest that Louis Napoleon had actually courted death "at the head of his
army", not so much in hope of leading his troops to victory as in expiation of
inevitable defeat. Whatever the truth of it, his letter of capitulation to the Prussian
King Wilhelm began with "having been unable to die among my troops....". As for
asking for a hiding place, this too is a little unfair: on the day after the battle
Wilhelm ordered that Louis Napoleon be held in captivity — albeit comfortable
captivity — at the chateau of Wilhelmshohe, until March 1871, when he was released
to go into exile in England.

The reverse of Fig. 5 carries the legend VAMPIRE DE LA FRANCE, a parody of
Empire de la France, and instead of the usual imperial eagle we have an owl. I am
not sure of the intended symbolism of this, but I suspect that this bird which shuns
the light of day (as does the vampire, of course) was chosen in contrast to the noble
eagle; or perhaps it is akin to the "ominous and fearful owl of death" in Shakespeare
(I Hen. VI, iv. 2.15), I don’t know.

What is probably only coincidental is yet another interesting link with the Book of
Revelation: "Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of
devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird"
(Rev. 18.2). The owl comes under this last heading, for in the Old Testament (e.g.
Is. 34. Ilf) it features as an unclean creature that inhabits desolate places and ruins.

But if Fig. 5 is a neat numismatic realisation of the dictum "how are the mighty
fallen" (2 Sam. 1.27), even greater numismatic ignominy was still to come in the form
of Fig. 6, which continues to strike me as one of the strangest episodes in English
monetary history.

Figure 6

As is well known, the practice of countermarking English coins of the realm for
advertising purposes (notably by Lloyd’s Weekly Newspaper) was made illegal in
1853. Nevertheless, the persistent shortage of small change at around that time meant
that foreign coins were pressed into service to fill the gap, and since these, being
foreign, were not governed by British law, it was not illegal to countermark them.
Thus it came about that in the 1880s thousands upon thousands of Louis Napoleon’s
10 centime pieces were imported into England, stamped with an advert for Pears
Soap, and released into circulation to serve as small change, as well as an advertising
medium. As Omar Khayyam put it:

60

"The Worldly Hope men set their Heart upon
Turns Ashes — or it prospers; and anon,

Like Snow upon the Desert’s dusty Face,

Lighting a little Hour or two — is gone."

Babylon the Great had indeed fallen a long way!

"WAMPUM"

A bead made from the clam, conch, and similar shells, and used in early times by the
North American Indians as money was called "Wampum". The native Americans
called it "Sewan" and this name was copied by the Dutch colonists, and written as
Seawant and Zewant. The French settlers name is Porcelaine, while the English
traders usually referred to it by the name of Wampum.

An inferior kind of wampum was made and used by the natives of Virginia, and they
called it "Roanoake". Captain John Smith in his writings on Virginia in 1624,
mentions "Rawranoke or white beads that occasion as much dissention among the
Salvages, as gold and siluer amongst Christians." In the Statutes of Virginia for 1656,
it was ordered that "Peeces of eight that are good and of silver shall pass for five
shillings, and Roanoake and Wompompeeke to keep their wonted value." While Sir
W. Talbot in describing the Discoveries of J. Lederer,, 1672, says, "Their currant
Coyn of small shells, which they call Roanoack or Peack."

In 1627, Isaac de Rasieres sailed from New Amsterdam on a trading expedition to the
British colony at New Plymouth, Massachusetts, and among other merchandise he had
fifty pounds of Wampum, which was accepted with great reluctance by the New
Englanders. None the less, it soon must have become a standard circulating medium
of exchange, as in 1637 it was ordered that throughout New England Wampum should
pass at "six a penny" for any sum less than twelve pence. Just three years later, on
October 7, 1640, a proclamation was issued that white Wampum should pass at "four
a penny" and blue at "two a penny", also that not more than twelve pence in value
should be tendered at one time, unless the received desired more.

In the following year the Council of New Amsterdam promulgated an ordinance to
the effect that all coarse Wampum should pass at six for a Striver, and well polished
beads should be valued at only four for a Stuiver.

Wampum is referred to in Roger Williams’ treatise entitled A Key into the Language
of America, published in London in 1643, as follows: "Their white (money) they call
Wampum, which signifies white; their black Suckauhock, Sucki signifying black.
Both amongst themselves, as also the English and Dutch, the black peny is two pence
white."

On May 22, 1661, the law authorizing the use of Wampum as legal tender in New
England was repealed, and gradually the coinage of silver drove it out of circulation.

61

Submitted by R. R. Kutcher

AMOGHABHUTI - NAME OR TITLE?

Devendra Handa, Chandigarh, India, NI # 2404

Numismatists are well aware of the controversy regarding the connotation of the word
Amoghabhuti occurring on the Kuninda coins. Most of the scholars take it to be the
personal name of the ruler,1 Jayaswal suggested that it is a title meaning "of unfailing
prosperity,"" while Dr. P. L. Gupta holds it to stand for the god Siva.3 An analysis
of the devices and the legend led us to conclude that Amoghabhuti is neither the title
of the Kuninda king (or kings), nor does it stand for Siva, but is the name of the
king.4 The Chakkar (District Mandi, Himachal Pradesh) Hoard consisting of 525
Kuninda, 45 (Karttikeya Type) Yaudheya and some other copper coins which has
been studied and catalogued by Dr. Gupta and published recently5 provides an
important clue to the solution of this problem.

The copper Kuninda coins of the Chakkar Hoard follow the silver coins of the
Kunindas "in their motifs and appearance but the reverse Kharoshthl legend is
replaced by a border of dots." Depending upon the direction of the deer to right or
left. Dr. Gupta has divided them into Class I and Class II respectively observing that
"Some coins of Class I and all the coins of Class II are quite neat in their fabric and
bear good legends."6 Though Dr. Gupta has not distinguished the legends of these
coins from the silver pieces, yet a careful analysis of coins of Class n, which number
only 16 against 478 of Class I and have been listed as nos. 456-71 in his Catalogue,
reveals an interesting fact.7

A noteworthy feature of all the coins of Class II is the existence of a circular symbol
0 behind the tail of the deer on the obverse (Fig. 1). The legend is only partially

visible on the different specimens which, however, give a fair idea of what it may
have, actually been. Coin no. 457 shows the title Maharajasa from 5 to 8 o’clock but
nothing can be made out of the legend along the upper margin of the coin.8
...ghabhutisa may be seen on coin no. 458 between 11 and 3 o’clock.9 Coin no. 459
reveals that bhutisa exists between 1 and 3 o’clock and Mahara.. between 5 and 7
o’clock.10 Important evidence is provided by coin no. 461 as it shows the letter sa
of the title Maharajasa at 9 o’clock position, followed immediately by Am(ogha)
between 10 and 12 o’clock indicating clearly that the upper margin contained the
name Amoghabhutisa while the title Maharajasa was placed along the lower margin.
That the circular symbol punctuated the two words Amoghabhutisa and Maharajasa
is revealed by coin nos. 463-65 besides those mentioned above.11 The cumulative
evidence makes it very clear that the legend on all these coins was Amoghabhutisa
Maharajasa only and that this legend was complete in itself and not fragmentary as
it covered the entire available margin of the flan. This, thus, is the abridged version
of the legend which omits the title Rajhah and the tribal name Kunindasa. This
simple legend Amoghabhutisa Maharajasa hardly leaves any doubt to Amoghabhuti
being the personal name of the king and Maharaja being his title.

Notes and References

1. Cunningham, ASR, XIV, p. 139; Smith, IMC, I, p. 161; Allan, BMCAI, p. cii etc.
Subsequent scholars have generally followed these stalwarts.

2. Hindu Polity , 3rd ed., Bangalore, 1955, p. 70, fn. 1.

3. Parmeshwari Lai Gupta, Numismatic History of Himachal Pradesh, Delhi, 1988
C NHHP ), p. 26.

4. JNSI, LIII (1991), pp. 78-81.

5. NHHP.

6. Ibid., p. 25.

7. We have examined these coins personally in the Himachal State Museum, Shimla
in March 1993 through the courtesy of its Curator Mr. S. M. Sethi and his colleague
Mrs. Sushila Negi to whom both we express our thanks.

8. NHHP, p. 103, PI. VIII. 10.

9. Ibid., PI. Vm.ll.

10. Ibid., PI. Vm.12.

11. Ibid., PI. Vm.14-15 (coins nos. 463 & 464 respectively).

63

NUMISMATIC ORGANIZATIONS IN GERMANY

Germany’s oldest numismatic club, Numismatische Gesellschaft zu Berlin, just
celebrated its 150th anniversary on December 22, 1993. It might be of interest,
therefore, to give a survey on the present situation of numismatic organizations in
this country.

In Germany there are an estimated 100,000 serious collectors of coins,
commemorative medals, tokens and paper money. Many of them are members of
local or regional coin clubs. There may be about 250 such clubs in existence.

Some coin clubs are of considerable age and reputation. Others have been founded
in more recent years.

78 clubs, including nearly all of those issuing numismatic publications and doing
scholarly research, belong to the German Numismatic Society (Deutsche
Numismatische Gessellschaft), an organization founded in 1951. This society issues
the monthly periodical Numismatisches Nachrichtenblatt distributed free to the
members of all clubs organized in this society. Three times a year the presidents and
other interested members of those clubs belonging to the Germany Numismatic
Society meet for a 3-day convention. The spring convention takes place in that part
of Germany which used to be under communist rule up to 1990. The summer
convention is held in Minden near Hannover and the autumn convention takes place
in Southern Germany. The spring and fall conventions are given to different towns
every year and the sponsoring local clubs arrange everything necessary (including a
convention medal, papers, a special program for the ladies, etc.). There are clubs
which number only about 12 members, while others boast a hundred or more or less
active collectors and scholars.

Many of the German clubs are active in numismatic research and documentation,
issue periodicals of their own, arrange coin exhibitions and encourage scholarly work.
Some have large numismatic libraries and their own building space.

In that part of Germany which used to be under communist rule, every district had
a coin club (more than 300!) strictly organized and controlled by the leading party.
Unlike collectors who were not members of these clubs, the members had privileges
such as the possibility of buying commemorative coins (the bulk of them was devoted
to export only), exhibiting, publishing, etc. After Germany’s reunification most of
these East German coin clubs vanished, but a considerable number did survive. Of
course in the months and years after the collapse of the communist regime many
clubs in West Germany tried to help their fellow clubs in the East. East German
clubs were invited for a visit, spare literature and other material was made available
and thus German numismatists and numismatic clubs took part in the difficult task of
psychological reunification.

At the moment about 10 of the surviving East German clubs are regular members of
the German Numismatic Society.

64

Apart from the Germany Numismatic Society there is a Society of International
Money History (Gessellschaft fiir Internationale Geldgeschichte) based in Frankfurt
am Main. This organization includes far more than 2,000 single member (nearly no
clubs) and issued a highly respected bi-monthly periodical Geldgeschichtliche
Nachrichten.

Of course there are several specialized organizations on the Germany numismatic
scene as well. A society devoted to the art-medals (Deutsche Gesellschaft fur
Medaillenkunst), an association for collectors of primitive money, a society of
collectors interested in coins and medals picturing ships, a group of people collecting
stamps picturing coins, etc. Most of these groups issue good periodicals as well.

Although there are some clubs that organize coin shows, most of these shows are run
by professional coin dealers and not my numismatic organization.

Submitted by Reinhold Jordan

ft*******************************************************************

NUMISMATIC EXTRACTS FROM SELECTED LITERATURE

Both the regulars and the irregulars in the Arabian army were paid wages just the
same as other Allied troops in other parts of the world. They received their pay in
gold coin, all of which was supplied by the British Government. Lawrence usually
had a bag or two of sovereigns in his tent, and whenever a sheik came in and asked
for money, Lawrence would tell him to help himself. He allowed them to keep all
that they could take out of the bag in one handful. A swarthy two-fisted Howeitat
giant dropped in for a cup of coffee and a cigarette one morning. In the richly
ornamented language of the people of the black tents he reminded Lawrence of the
valuable assistance that he had been rendering King Hussein. Lawrence took the
thinly veiled hint, and, pointed to his gold bag in one comer, he asked his guest to
help himself. The sheik broke all records by picking up one hundred and forty-three
sovereigns in one hand!

Taken from WITH LAWRENCE IN ARABIA,
Lowell Thomas, Garden City Pub. Co., Inc.,
Garden City, N.Y., 1924. p. 192.

(Submitted by John R. McIntyre)

*********************************************************************

THE BURMESE "GANZA"

A former base metal coin of Burma, the "Ganza", consisting of copper and tin, is
mentioned by a number of writers early in the nineteenth century. The coin was
equal to two or three French Sous, however, the coin was abolished about 1 840 and
the "Kabean" succeeded it.

65

(Submitted by R. R. Kutcher)

NORTHERN IRELAND BANK ISSUES NEW NOTES

A new series of bank notes were issued on January 10, 1994 in Belfast to mark the
final stage of the opening of Northern Ireland’s newest High Street bank.

The First Trust Bank, which has 95 branches in Northern Ireland, is the result of the
takeover of the Trustee Savings Bank by Allied Irish.

On January 10th the 40 former AIB branches in Northern Ireland opened for business
under the First Trust banner.

Since the mid- 1850s the AIB has had the right to issue its own bank notes, and now
this right is being vested in the new First Trust Bank.

A total of £130m worth of banknotes were issued by First Trust, some £1 10m of them
being in the £10 and £20 denominations.

The new £10, £20, £50 and £100 notes all carry enhanced new security features
designed to make life more difficult for the counterfeiter. First Trust will not issue
its own £5, it will use Bank of England £5 notes.

66

As in the old AIB design, the First Trust notes carry the coats of arms of the six
counties of Northern Ireland, and the faces of people representing a range of
generations.

The notes, which were designed and printed by Thomas De La Ru of Basingstoke, are
the standard new note size to comply with cash dispensers.

They carry the First Trust logo which shows the dove of peace landing on Noah’s Ark
- an image designed to represent stability and trust

To avoid confusion with bank notes from the Irish Republic, the word "sterling" is
spelled out in full on the front and back of the note.

A watermark of "A Portrait of Youth" can be seen when the note is held up to the
light, and each note contains a security thread.

The printing on the notes is raised, and when the note is held at an angle to the light,
the denomination of the note can be seen.

The new First Trust notes will run in tandem for the time being with the AIB sterling
notes, but no new AIB sterling notes will be issued.

First Trust has also introduced an aid for blind people to tell which note they are
proffering - slide the note into a plastic envelope and line it up against a series of
stepped edges to established its value.

"AMOLES"

The salt money of Abyssinia called "Amol6s" was used as a circulating medium for
smaller monetary transactions to the west of Gondar. This currency appears to have
been in the form of blocks of rock-salt, about eight inches long by one and one half
inches in breadth, and was valued at from two to three pence each. It is described
by Foville, Les Monnaies de l’ Ethiopia, and is mentioned as early as 1625 in the
works of Don Alonzo Mendez, patriarch of Abyssinia, who traversed the country, and
says: "The boundary between the Kingdoms of Daucalia nd Tygre is a plain, four
days’ journey in length and one in breadth, which they call the country of salt, for
there is found all that they use in Ethiopia, instead of money; being bricks almost a
span long and four fingers thick and broad, and wonderfully white, fine and hard, and
there is never any miss of it, though they carry away never to much; and this quantity
is so great that we met a caravan of it, where in we believed there could be no less
than 600 beasts of burden, camels, mules, and asses, of which the camels carry 600
of these bricks, and the asses 140 to 150, and these continually going and coming."

Submitted by R. R. Kutcher

67

Book News & Reviews

THE NUMISMATIC ASPECTS OF LEPROSY: MONEY, MEDALS AND

MISCELLANEA. By R. McFadden, J. Grost, and D. Marr. Published by D. C.
McDonald Associates, Inc., 1993. Hardcover, 167pp, over 300 photographs and
illustrations, bibliographies, and reading list. Available from Dennis F. Marr, 3
Overlook Drive, Troy, New York, 12180. Price: $24.95.

Quite frequently, while rummaging through dealer "junk boxes", I happen upon leper
colony money from Columbia. Invariable, I momentarily reflect upon the piece and
contemplate the affliction which it represents and society’s response to those who are
afflicted. I imagine most numismatists have had similar experiences. Roger
McFadden, John Grost, and Dennis Marr have produced a work which enables
numismatists such as myself to place these coins into context.

Hansen’s disease, as leprosy is medically denoted, is one of the oldest recorded
diseases of mankind. One need only consider the numerous Biblical references to
leprosy to demonstrate the truth of this statement though the authors note that most
Biblical references to leprosy are probably to afflictions different than leprosy as we
know it today. In any event, since the earliest of times, those thought to suffer from
leprosy have been removed from society. The authors state that by the seventh
century A.D. there were hundreds of asylums throughout Europe for lepers. Today,
Hansen’s disease affects an estimated 15-30 million people. Given the historical
treatment of lepers, the book’s dedication "to understanding" in the hope that it may
"in some small measure, help to lessen the irrational prejudice, fear, and ignorance
surrounding Hansen’s disease" is most apt.

Though the authors disclaim the notion that this work is the definitive treatment of
the subject, I suspect that it is just that at the present time. It catalogues all known
monies from leper colonies as well as numerous medals. The photographs and
illustrations are numerous, the bibliographical references profuse, and the scholarship
adroit.

Every numismatist who has ever held a leper colony coin in hand will be interested
in purchasing this work for the information it provides about the coins, the colonies,
and the disease. The authors are commended for providing the numismatic
community with such a strong and unique reference work.

Reviewed by Donald S. Yarab

ANCIENT COINS REFERENCE REVIEWS. By Dennis J. Kroh. Published by C
& S Press, Winter Park, Florida, 1993. Softcover, 107pp., valuations. Available from
Empire Coins, P. O. Box 2634, Ormond Beach, FL 32175. Price: $25.00 postpaid.

Bibliographies are essential and book reviews are a great help in evaluating content
prior to purchase. Unfortunately, ne’er the twain shall meet. Well, Dennis Kroh has

68

taken it upon himself to solve the problem for us "Book Fools" who have the urge
to acquire everything ever printed on the subject of ancient coins.

This work is an expanded version of the outstanding column which the author has
contributed to THE CELATOR each month for nearly three years. If you want to
know what books have been published about your favorite comer of the ancient coin
collecting field, Dennis is certainly the one to ask. In addition to an encyclopedic
knowledge of numismatic literature, he has the practical experience to judge whether
a book will serve the buyer well. He boldly and frankly states his opinion of the
merits or demerits of a book, and assigns a star rating which is a graphic indicator of
his recommendations when it comes to purchasing any particular publication.

Whoever thought reading a bibliography could be entertaining? Kroh’s reviews are
filled with subtle humor and useful tidbits of information. It is actually quite
interesting to read as a survey as opposed to a pure reference review.

Dennis Kroh has done a great service to the ancient coin collecting fraternity with the
publication of this work. It is unique and one of the most useful publications that I
have had the pleasure to review. It will save the collector a small fortune in
judiciously building a reference library. Best of all, it is modestly prices. This one
is a MUST HAVE!

Reviewed by Wayne G. Sayles.

CANADIAN ARCADE AND MACHINE TOKENS HANDBOOK. By Jack
Sauchenko. Softcover, 8-1/2 x 11 inch photocopies bound with a three ring binder,
180pp, with valuations. Available from Jack Sauchenko, 124 A Avenue, Edmonton,
Alberta, CANADA, T5L 3B4. Price: $24.00 Canadian plus $4.00 Canadian for
postage.

This handbook lists over 2,000 Canadian arcade, machine, transit, amusement, bridge,
and related tokens. There is a listing of United States tokens of this sort used in
Canada and a section on numbered tokens.

The handbook includes photographs of most of the tokens. For each token, there is
a description of obverse and reverse and data on the metal, weight, diameter, edge,
and a valuation. The tokens are listed under the municipality or area in which they
were issued. Municipalities are listed alphabetically by province and territory.

An index at the front of the handbook lists the tokens alphabetically by issuer with
the issuing municipality and province or territory on the same line.

For those who purchased the 1993 edition of this handbook, there is a 110 page
supplement listing the new tokens available. It is available at $15.00 Canadian plus
$4.00 Canadian for postage.

Reviewed by Jerry Rernick

69

STANDARD CATALOG OF WORLD COINS, 18th CENTURY EDITION. By

Chester L. Krause and Clifford Mishler, Colin R. Bruce n, Editor. Published by
Krause Publications, Book Dept NR, 700 E. State St., Iola, Wisconsin 54990-0001.
Softcover, 1008pp., valuations. Available from hobby book dealers or directly from
the publisher for $45.00 plus $2.50 shipping.

Krause Publications has filled a longtime void among reference works on 18th-century
world coins by publishing its first ever Standard Catalog of World Coins, 18th
Century Edition.

Information on 18th-century
world coins previously was
scattered among many different
reference books specializing in a
particular country or region.
With the publication of this
catalog, this information is now
available in one volume that’s
economical to own and easy to
use.

The book was produced by the
same team that has made the
Standard Catalog of World Coins
the most widely used reference
of 19th- and 20th-century world
coins: Authors are Chester L.

Krause and Clifford Mishler;
editor is Colin R. Bruce H Also
contributing to the book were
Krause Publications’ staff of full-
time independent market analysts
and its large network of freelance
specialists.

"This all-new presentation of 18th-century world coins represents a combination of
20 years of research, data accumulation, photography, and persistence in providing a
single, comprehensive catalog to which collectors can turn," Bruce said.

Krause Publications has previously published information on 18th-century world coins
in hard-cover deluxe library versions of its annual Standard Catalog of World Coins,
but this is the company’s first book devoted exclusively to 18th-century world coins.
Bruce said this work reflects "our vastly improved data base for this period of world
coinage history."

A number of landmark auctions and treasure finds have occurred since the
information was last published, and these new finds and pricing benchmarks are
incorporated in the new catalog. A number of issues recorded previously but not seen

70

have been confirmed, along with new varieties.

The book’s 1,008 pages (8-1/2" x 11", softcover) contain listings by date and mint for
all world coins of 1701-1800. Each issue is valued in up to four grades of
preservation. Patterns and tokens are also included.

"All market valuations were carefully reviewed to reflect the current market," Bruce
said.

All issuing authorities are covered - from the German state of Aachen to the Swiss
canton of Zurich. The listings are illustrated by almost 19,000 actual-size coin
photographs.

Assisting readers in identifying coins are illustrated instant identifiers, standard
international numeral systems chart, a guide to grading terminology and abbreviations,
a glossary of legend abbreviations, a chart on total weights of coins, a date conversion
chart, mint index, coin denominations listings, chart of coin sizes, a listing of foreign
exchange rates, and a cross-referenced country index.

Information from the Publisher

BAETZNER

A base silver coin of Strasburg that was current in the sixteenth century and later, was
called a Baetzner. It was equivalent to eight Denier s, or the sixth part of a Dick-
Pfennig. The Dreibaetzner (three-baetzner) or one half Dick-Pfennig was also issued.
In the Luzerne coinage the Baetzner was equal to four kreuzer, and a silver
denomination of Zehnbaetzner (ten baetzner) was struck from 1750 to 1812.

(Submitted by R. R. Kutcher)

*********************************************************************

"CARTWHEELS” OF GREAT BRITAIN

In July of 1797 the British Treasury signed a contract with Matthew Boulton to
produce over 1 ,000 tons of the two penny pieces later called "Cartwheels" at his new
Soho Mint. Each of the two penny pieces was to be two ounces of good copper.

*******************************************************. ^^^^.^^^

"GELBVOGEL"

In southern Germany the popular name for a gold coin was "Gelbvogel". The word
translates to Yellow Bird.

(Submitted by R. R. Kutcher)

71

MEMBER NOTICE PAGE

Reinhold Jordan, Freitagstrasse 32, 97422 Schweinfurt, Germany: WANTED -
Commemorative medals related to persons living between about 400 and about 1100
A.D. Correspondence welcome!

Reinhold Jordan, Freitagstrasse 32, 97422 Schweinfurt, Germany: I collect

bookplates (exlibris) of numismatists worldwide. Many duplicates for trade available.

NI ATTRIBUTION SERVICE: See pages 224-225 of the October, 1993 issue for
rules regarding sending items in for attribution, or write to the Chairman of the
Attribution Service at the regular Dallas address before sending items.

"LARIN, LARI"

A species of wire money of Persia, the "Larin or Lari", obtains its name from the
province of Laristan, and which was formerly chiefly current on the coasts of the Gulf
of Persia. Sir John Chardin, who travelled extensively through Persia from 1664 to
1677, states that these coins were made until Lari was conquered by Abbas the Great
of Persia (1582-1627) and he estimates their value at two and one half Shahis.

These coins usually occur in silver, but specimens in gold exist, and are very rare.
They were extensively imitated, both in Ceylon and at Bijapur. The former are first
described by Robert Knox, who was kept a prisoner for twenty years, from 1659 to
1679, in the Kandian provinces of central Ceylon. He says: "There is another sort
of money which all people by the King’s permission may and do make, the shape is
like a fish-hook, they stamp what mark or impression on it they please; the silver is
purely fine beyond pieces of eight; for, if any suspect the goodness of the plate, it is
the custom to burn the money in the fire, red hot, and so put it in water, and if it be
no purely white, it is not current money."

Professor Wilson, in his remarks on fish-hook money, contributed to the Numismatic
Chronicle (vol. xvi), describes some pieces of silver wire, not hooked, which were
coined in imitation of the Laris, at Bijapur by the Sultan Ali Adil Shah, who reigned
from 1670 to 1691. They bear on both sides legends in Arabic characters; on the one
side the Sultan’s name and on the other "Zarb Lari Dangh Sikka," i.e., "Struck at Lari,
a stamped Dangh." They are of the same weight as the Ceylon hooks, or about one
hundred and seventy grains troy. The Ceylon types are known in Sinhalese under the
name of Ridi, which translates as Silver.

(Submitted by R. R. Kutcher)

72